An anti-Islamic terrorist plotted to blow up a mosque in a suicide mission using a detonator bought on the dark web, a court heard.
Steven Bishop, 40, appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court today (Tues) for a brief five-minute hearing during which his case was sent to the Old Bailey.
He is charged with the preparation of a terrorist act and collecting information of a kind likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism.
Wearing a prison-issue grey tracksuit, balding Bishop spoke only to confirm his name and address.
He also confirmed his nationality to the court as ‘white British’.
Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard he was arrested after his recovery worker contacted police on October 28 following a conversation in which he stated he planned to carry out a bombing attack on a mosque.
Prosecutor Simon Drew said: “He told her he was going to make a bomb and blow up a mosque in a suicide mission.
“He went on to tell her he bought Semtex and a detonator on the Dark Web.”
The prosecutor said the woman called police, who attended Bishop’s address.
On October 29, the next day, they went back to Bishop’s address to arrest him but found he was at his mother’s address.
They arrested him there and also seized several pages of handwritten notes found in a drawer, which relate to the charge of collecting information likely to be useful for terrorism.
Bishop, of Thornton Heath, south London denies one count of preparing for an act of terrorism and one count of collecting a record of information likely to be useful for a person committing or preparing for an act of terrorism.
Chief Magistrate Emma Arbuthnot sent his case to the Old Bailey.
He will next appear on November 23.
By Adela Whittingham